Rape Suspect Shoots Himself After Chase

December 11, 1986|By Mildred A. Williams of The Sentinel Staff

A man suspected of raping a 14-year-old Orlando girl shot and critically wounded himself Wednesday after leading police on a chase that ended in a three-car accident at the intersection of Kaley and Division streets.

Officials of the Orange County Sheriff's Office said Melvin Pederson, 37, shot himself in the stomach with a sawed-off shotgun that he was about to fire at deputies who had surrounded his car.

Pederson, who moved to Orlando from Minnesota last week, was in serious condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center late Wednesday. There were no other injuries in the incident that tied up traffic near the intersection for a couple of hours and drew more than a dozen law enforcement officials from the sheriff's office and the Orlando Police Department.

Authorities were looking for Pederson in connection with a sexual battery that was reported on Tuesday, but he will probably face additional charges associated with the police chase and shooting, said Jim Solomons, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.

He is suspected of holding a 14-year-old girl captive for five hours and sexually assaulting her. The victim's stepfather, who was at the shooting scene, said Pederson is the girl's uncle. He said he and his wife took his brother-in-law in last week after he was released from prison on a sex crime. He said police called him to the scene after the shooting.

''He says everybody is against him,'' the man said. ''We thought he was going to start a new life. I tried to help him out.''

The man said Pederson promised to buy the girl a moped Tuesday but instead drove her to a Kissimmee orange grove and raped her. He said Pederson then tried to rape her again at their home while holding the girl at knifepoint. When the girl's brother walked in, Pederson grabbed his shotgun and left, the man said.

''He the brother probably saved her life. He had a knife to her throat,'' the man said.

He said police were then notified and the girl was treated at a local hospital and released.

Solomons gave this account of the shooting:

Responding to a bulletin that had been issued Tuesday afternoon with a description of Pederson's car, deputies in an unmarked car spotted Pederson's car about 11:45 a.m. at South Orange Blossom Trail and 19th Street.

The deputies radioed for help from Orlando police because they were entering the city limits and continued to follow the car until it came to a stop sign at Parramore Avenue and Kaley Street. As one of the deputies got out of the unmarked car and tried to approach the suspect, Pederson reached for the shotgun. Deputies fired at Pederson but did not hit him.

Pederson then fled east in his car onto Kaley, driving recklessly but at a normal rate of speed. As he neared Division, he attempted to go around eastbound traffic that was stopped at the light. He struck a northbound car as he tried to go south on Division. Pederson tried to untangle his car from the other one and reversed into an Orlando police patrol car that was behind him. As deputies and police began to surround the car, Pederson got out and was raising the shotgun to fire when he ''fumbled'' and shot himself in the abdomen, Solomons said.

Pederson was charged with sexual battery and aggravated assault. Solomons said it is likely several weapons charges also would be filed.